In lieu of a shade structure, which I am having a real hard time figuring out how to build, are there any in tent fans that work well and aren't too expensive or is there no such thing as a portable fan that I assume would run on battery or charged with usb and will it actually help so I don't wake up baking inside my tent?

Chiming in encouraging a shade structure... even a small one just to keep the morning sun off of your tent will make a world of difference. Monkey hut it up. A few lengths of PVC, some rebar, shade cloth & bungees. You'll be very happy that you did it. A fan is just going to be pushing hot air around.

My problem is I'm going to be by myself and I don't know anything about putting together a shade and from what I've seen of them one person trying to do it isn't going to work out well. Any ideas for a simple one I can make? In 2015 I bought a 10' by 20' reflective tarp but never used it because I had no idea how to.

I can and have put up a monkey hut all by myself. If you think you need help pulling the shade cloth/tarp over the frame,ask your neighbors. It’s really not much work and most people are happy to help out a bit

My problem is I'm going to be by myself and I don't know anything about putting together a shade and from what I've seen of them one person trying to do it isn't going to work out well. Any ideas for a simple one I can make? In 2015 I bought a 10' by 20' reflective tarp but never used it because I had no idea how to.

DD18, even though BM attracts all the direct and imaginary descendants of Nikola Tesla, DaVinci et al, not everyone needs to be that guy/gal.

1. Learn a bit, maybe get a materials list of what they used to make that kick-ass shade.

2. Maybe see where highwing is camping and if they would be willing to host a workshop

3. If you really kick it off maybe build a camp of these little gems.

4. Get all the items you can see on that page, get a bunch of 50 and 200 ml bottles of good scotch, small megaphone, go around your block and announce a build party and whiskey tasting. Hot-pants or a tu-tu help.

I did a couple of burns under my friends sail. He would raise and lower the poles on one side as needed. The other side stayed low to the ground and the wind just went right over. It was a fancy triangle of cloth cut and sewn on the bias. It had a bit of stretch.

Those aren't buttermilk biscuits I'm lying on Savannah

Pictures or it didn't happen Greycoyote

Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.Arthur Schopenhauer

I don't know what to tell you man. Why don't you just test it out and see if it works?

There are a lot of shade structure designs people have come up with, many have instructions or list the parts. At some point you're just going to have to sit down, choose one or two, and build them to see if they work.

Set them up in your yard, or if you don't have that kind of space, your local park. I test my shit at the local park because I have no yard at this apartment complex. If it feels flimsy, get some more parts (like rope and stakes and shit), revise the design, and make it work. It'll be a lot easier to work out kinks at the local park, rather than on-playa.

Learn to be handy, because ultimately, you're going to be setting this shit up when you're tired and sleeping under it.

And time is running out.

"The essence of tyranny is not iron law. It is capricious law." -- Christopher Hitchens

I’ve used an O2 COOL brand fan before. It uses 8 D batts but works pretty good

Met too! I have two 10" O2 Cool Fans, and I like them a lot. About $20 at Home Depot and Amazon.

One of them is older (6 or 7 years old?) and requires a tiny tiny screwdriver to get into it, so if anyone orders one, I definitely recommend unboxing the fan before traveling, to make sure you have a screwdriver that fits. It's also a good idea because--if it's the older model with small screws--the screws are easy to lose. Better to drop one on the floor in your home than lose a screw in the dust.

O2 Cool fans are not powerful enough to stay in one's tent for hours past the usual time, but if you turn it on and turn it towards you, you may be able to doze until 9am instead of 8am . . . or at least be more comfortable while dressing.

Last year I sat in my shade in front of my fan, spritzing myself with water from a spray bottle. I can't believe I hadn't tried that yet. Very pleasant.

*** 2018 Survival Guide ***
"I must've lost it when I was twerking at the trash fence." -- BBadger

If you happen to have the Ryobi platform of battery power tools, they have this fan for $40 that gets surprisingly high marks (especially for a budget tool brand) in terms of efficiency, relatively quiet operation, and battery life. Biggest drawback is they are exclusive to Home Depot.

But Ryobi has a lot of Burn-friendly tools that are inexpensive and perfectly suitable for the intermittent abuse of the playa: impact drivers/wrenches, drills, mattress inflators, cordless glue guns (!), and this fan. As an aside their batteries are compatible with this: